Playing Lazarus:

B’da gov’t delegate pays lip service to traders’ strike

- Indicts detractors of inciting populations into rebellion

- Boasts of successful stewardship as Bamenda City Boss

By Njodzefe Nestor in Bamenda

Vincent NjiNdumu

The Government Delegate to the Bamenda City Council has described as “manipulative” the recent strike by some traders in Bamenda who took to the streets protesting an imminent increase of rents in market stalls in Bamenda. Vincent NjiNdumu maintained that by reviewing the rents of market stalls the city council only acted within the ambit of the law and in respect of the deliberation of the City Board.

                Vincent Ndumu hammered his point during an interview he granted some local radio stations in Bamenda on Friday 22 July 2016. The interview centred on development issues in the city of Bamenda.  

                Irate traders took to the streets on protesting among other things the hikes in rents of market stalls, the high rate of banditry and insecurity, poor hygiene and sanitation in markets across the city as well as the poor state of roads. Because of these grievances the traders brandished red cardson the Government Delegate, urging him to go.

                Clarifying the issue of rents, Vincent Ndumu said city authorities had held several meetings with various leaders of the traders unions in the markets and informed them of the council’s resolve to gradually implement rents rates prescribed by the 2009 law this, so as to raise funds to finance much-needed developmental projects in the city. He blamed the traders’ leaders of demonstrating real bad faith towards the populations.

                “It is very fallacious and sheer bad faith for the traders and leaders of trader’s unions to agree with the city council only for them to go back and mobilize people to take to the streets protesting what the city council is doing,” Ndumu noted disappointingly.

                He regretted that many of those who occupied stalls in markets are not the persons who have contract agreements with the city council.

                “It is unfortunate that people sign contracts with the council for ownership of stalls and go back and give out the stalls at very exorbitant rates. These illegal arrangements are the root cause of the disgruntlement of traders,” Ndumu said.

                On the issue of waste management which has been preoccupying in the city of Bamenda for some time now, He explained that the precarious financial situation of the council does not permit for adequate garbage collection.

As for the issue of bad roads, he admitted that the road network in the city was not the best but blamed the situation on the paltry budget of the council and the “difficulty faced by the council in recovering tax revenues. 

                “True we don’t have the means to do those roads the way they are supposed to be done. But if somebody says the City Council since 2009 is not doing anything worthy then that person needs to have his or her head examined,” Ndumu noted.

                He however revealed that a well advanced project for the construction of a double carriage way from the check point at up station down town through finance, Ngen and veterinary junctions then Ayaba street, T-junction, Food market to City Chemist and then Sonac street and back to Veterinary junction expected to start is expected in January 2017. 

                He extolled the City Council for tarring a good number of inner roads in town with the latest in Mile Three Bamenda III Council area, Mulang in Bamenda III and the Pastoral Center road in Bamenda I.

Vincent NjiNdumu however regretted that despite his hard work and “intellectual input” as Government Delegate, some people whom he described as “detractors” are trying to “spoil his good works, noting that history will vindicate him.

                “It is absolutely unfaithful for Christians and Muslims to smear people for personal reasons,” he observed, boasting that “very few people can have the ideas I have”.